These Marines
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: Post ep In The Zone. Tony sees the differences in his life and the life of the marines, even though they both ultimately serve the same country. Dedicated to all marines for the work they do. Oneshot.


**Just a Tony centred one-shot based after In The Zone, where he considers what happened Baghdad. The song used is Nickleback's If Everyone Cared. I figured that seeing the marines out there would have affected Tony a bit more than they showed it to. This is dedicated to all marines worldwide. I'm in England, but all navy's deserve recognition for serving their country.**

**These Marines**

_From underneath the trees, we watch the skies_

_Confusing stars for satellites_

He'd spent three days in Baghdad. In three days, he had changed.

_I never dreamed that you'd be mine_

_But here we are, we're here tonight_

He'd connected with the men out there on some levels; levels where they would sometimes stay awake for days on end because they had a job that needed doing, a job where people depended on them. He could level with them on that. He knew what that was like, how sometimes you had to do a job that you didn't always agree with one hundred percent, but it was your job and you did it because your job served your country. In that way, he was the same as these men, but he never felt the fear that they felt with their job. He'd felt fear before, but it couldn't possibly compare to what these men felt day in, day out.

_Singing "Amen, I, I'm alive"_

_Singing "Amen, I, I'm alive"_

He used to get up in the morning and take a shower, either warm or cold, depending on the activities of the night before, to help him wake up. The marines he'd met in Baghdad sometimes went days, even weeks, without clean running water. And to think he cured the mornings where his hot water ran out because he was too busy try not to go back to sleep under the warm jets of water!

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

On a rare day, a very rare day, he'd call in sick. He knew his limits; like when he contracted pneumonic plague. He knew that he'd need that first week off. Of course, he'd fought to go into work on that second week, but he knew that the first week was something he couldn't deny himself. No matter how bored and restless he was, and no matter how many movies he had watched, his body needed to heal. The marines he'd met would have days where they were getting shot at, their friends all around them getting hit, and yet they still moved forwards. It was no wonder many marines clutched tightly to the crosses hanging on the chains beside their dog tags.

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

His trip had made him think back to the 'college buds' that no longer kept in contact, even though they'd promised to be frat brothers forever. He'd complained about not seeing them more often. He blamed it on his job, while they'd say they had family commitments; circumstances, things out of their control. He complained about that, whilst these marines knew that they might not ever see some of their 'buds' again.

_And I'm singing_

_Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_Amen I, Amen I, Amen I_

_I'm alive_

He would spend his summer weekends running through the park, staring at all the pretty girls and encouraging the ones who stared back. He'd relish in the freedom that came from knowing he didn't have to work that day. These marines patrolled the streets no matter what the day, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

_And in the air the fireflies_

_Our only light in paradise_

He could remember the day that the air conditioner was broken, and how they had suffered in the heat of the office with the windows that didn't open. He remembered how he had been insufferable all day until that moment when the aircon roared back into life. These marines wore heavy gear, not daring to take off their helmets to wipe their brow. He'd experienced that first hand when they had been travelling through the Green Zone. It hadn't been a nice feeling, especially when he had discovered an itch at the base of his hairline. He knew how easy it would be to adjust his helmet to the side and get rid of the irritating scratch, but he could see the unease in the vehicle of soldiers as he tried to get at the itch with his fingers.

_We'll show the world they were wrong_

_And teach them how to sing along_

He'd always complained when a restaurant got his order wrong, usually because he was ordering for four or five people at a time. He found it frustrating, but he'd sometimes even flirt with the waitress who came to correct the error. If they were working a busy case, he'd end up skipping lunch and snacking on the vending machine treats whenever he could spare a minute. These marines might have had a day where they didn't get to eat.

_Singing "Amen I, I'm alive"_

_Singing "Amen I, I'm alive"_

He might have been a bit of a slob, but he always made sure that his bed was made and that his clothes were clean before he wore them. The maid took care of the rest, but that was his chore. It was his ritual. These marines wore the same thing for weeks, but always made sure that their weapons were clean. The fact that Tony's job allowed him to clean both his weapons and his clothes felt like a luxury.

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

He'd take time on a day off to go down to the mall and get his hair cut. It might now have been a different style every time, and it might have been less than half an inch shorter when he entered the barbers, but it felt good for him. These marines didn't even have time to brush their teeth some mornings.

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_When nobody died_

He would get irritable and angry sometimes when he was exhausted, or when he had a date and Gibbs would tell him that the case meant they had no chance of getting out on time. These marines were devastated when they were told that they'd be held over an extra two months because of a recent bombing or attack.

_And as we lie beneath the stars_

_We realise how small we are_

He would get lonely and call a girl he'd met up with earlier in the week. If he'd really enjoyed his night with her, he'd suggest they meet up again for a repeat of that week's performance. These marines waited for the mail like a child on Christmas morning, just to see if there was a letter from back home.

_If they could love like you and me_

_Imagine what the world could be_

He remembered being with Jeanne, and kissing here whenever he could. Once he realised he was in love with her, he'd kiss her whenever he felt like it. Sometimes even when she was in the middle of a rant about her day at work. It usually made her smile when he kissed her at those times. These marines held close the letters from their loved ones, people it tore them in half to be apart from, just to smell the perfume they thought they'd forgotten.

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

He'd rolled his eyes on a plane a few months back when a baby at the back had started screaming. He'd sat there, agitated and silently begging the child's parents to do something, anything, to stop the crying. He'd even sat through a movie that he knew from the past he hated, just so that the soundtrack would block out the wails of a hungry child. These marines received photographs of their newborn children, wondering if they would ever get the chance to hold them.

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

He was loyal to his country, but sometimes he'd criticise the government. He'd see another act passed that he didn't agree with, or he'd watch news footage at his desk and think that the war had accomplished so little in the time that it had been going on. These marines saw innocents tortured and killed by their own people, and remembered why they were fighting.

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

He would go to work and hear his co-workers bickering, more than often joining in. He'd hear ringing phones, the camera snaps and the sound of Abby's heavy metal music. These marines heard gunfire, bombs and the screams of the wounded men, women and children around them.

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

He'd seen some horrific sights in his time; bodies of innocents and bodies of friends, but he was still glad that he didn't have to witness death's like Kate's every day. He couldn't handle seeing the deaths of people he cared about so often in his life. Every day at any second. These marines did.

_We'd see the day_

At the end of the day, he'd go home, he'd sit in front of the television with a classic movie playing. It didn't matter how many times he'd seen it, he'd just watch it if something of that day had reminded him of a certain scene and had left him with a longing for the movie. These marines took whatever time they had to call, write home, sleep and eat.

_We'd see the day_

Afterwards, he'd crawl into his bed and get comfortable. He'd manage to get to sleep even if the girl he'd brought home that night snored a little or even if he'd seen a case at work that sickened him to his stomach. These marines tried to get to sleep but were woken up by mortars and helicopters all night long.

_When nobody died_

It had only taken him three days to realise this.

_We'd see the day_

After those three days, he had returned to the bullpen. Jardine had returned to her department without question, without hesitation, but he had stood at his desk for a moment, watching his co-workers in their usual morning ritual - Gibbs drinking his coffee, McGee checking his emails, Ziva organising her desk. He watched, and waited for the epiphany to come to him. He'd been to Baghdad before, and he knew that there was always an epiphany that came to you after you experienced something like that; a change in culture and lifestyle from your own, or in this case, witnessing a lifestyle so diverse for people who were ultimately serving the same country.

_We'd see the day_

And then it hit him.

_When nobody died_

It wasn't startling or shocking, but something that deep down, he'd always really known. Serving justice for the Navy meant that he had always been aware of it. They served the Navy so the Navy could serve America; that's what he always considered his job role to be. And as Gibbs stood up with his usual 'gear up', signalling the start of a new case, he realised what it was that had changed him.

He'd always considered them to be the heroes of the hour, especially at the end of the case, but Baghdad had changed him and he realised the reversal of his initial thoughts.

At the end of the day, the marines were the true heroes.

_We'd see the day when nobody died_


End file.
